15 FEVRIER 2017 NEWS: Pasargad - Grèce - Nottingham - Mersea -

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IRAN – Pasargad - The Public Relations Office of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) quoted head of the archeological excavation team in the city of Pasargad, Farhad Zarei Kurdshouli as saying that among the discoveries reference can be made to two mines of white travertine calcareous stones in the Diamond Mountain and the sand stone mines known as Abulverdi. “Although the Almas Bori (diamond cutting) mine in the past had been identified by the archeologists, who had operated in Pasargad and the Persepolis areas, no report has yet been released on the process of excavation of the mine,” he said.The archaeologist further remarked that in the next stage they would mount the blocks on the large chariots and by four animals like cow after passing through Bolaghi and Saadatshahr pass ways would transfer them to Pasargad and put them in their place and with different cutting tools would make them smooth and finally would polish them with the fibers of the palm tree or skin of the shark.Zarei Kudshouli then pointed to the Abulverdi mine, which has been identified recently, and said the stones, extracted from the mine, had been used for filling the internal of the walls of Talle Takht and foundations of the palaces and the fountains of the royal garden.He referred to the black stone which has also been used in the buildings of the Pasargad complex and said the exploration team is hopeful to identify its mine within the cultural zone of the city.Stressing that farming constituted one of the infrastructures of the Achaemenid era, the archeologist said the Achaemenids embarked on building canals, streams and dams in the Pasargad plain and its neighboring areas as they were involved in agriculture and horticulture. “The city of Pasargad and the Morghab district are among the most important areas in the Sassanid era, adding that the important works of that period are Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab (that are 10 projects' reliefs altogether) and Shahr-e Estakhr,” he said.

GRECE – - A bird-like statuette in Greece has baffled archaeologists, as its origin and what it depicts remain a mystery. It is estimated that the object that resembles a bird is approximately 7,000 years old. This has led Greek archaeologists to name it the “7,000-year-old enigma,” before placing it in the National Archaeological Museum, where it will be on display until March 26. The statuette is part of an exhibition entitled “The Unseen Museum”, referring to some 200,000 antiquities ranging from statues to gold jewelry and every-day objects in store and not on daily display. The “7,000-year-old enigma” is carved out of granite and is 36 cm tall, has a pointed nose, a long neck, round belly and cylindrical legs. It is in excellent condition, even though it belongs in the late Neolithic era. Archaeologists place its origin in today’s northern Greece.

ROYAUME UNI – Nottingham - Trent & Peak Archaeology (part of York Archaeological Trust), have discovered enclosure ditches and square rock cut pits filled with pottery, glass and roof tiles which appear to indicate pottery production took place in very close proximity. Archaeologists working on the construction of a new creative and digital learning space for Nottingham Trent University and Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies have unearthed the best preserved medieval site seen in Nottingham for 15 years.

ROYAUME UNI – Mersea Island - Archaeologists and volunteers have rescued well-preserved prehistoric timbers 650 metres offshore at Cooper’s Beach on Mersea Island. The recovery of the timbers was carried out by CITiZAN (the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network) after local oysterman Daniel French first spotted the wood after it was exposed by raging winter storms. CITiZAN archaeologists have revealed that the timbers may have formed part of a 75m long planked trackway connecting wet and drier areas of marshland, enabling people to move across the landscape. Each of the planks have axe-marks and sockets cut through the ends which would have been used to stake the structure firmly to the ground. Dr Zoe Outram, science advisor at Historic England, said: “The relationship and date of the five timbers will be investigated to see if they were part of the same trackway. Initial investigations suggest that the wooden trackway was prehistoric, potentially dating to the Bronze Age, but this will be determined through scientific dating funded by Historic England. “Further work in partnership with CiTIZAN will look at how the structure was built and the type of wood used. This will provide valuable insights into woodland management and trackway construction techniques at that time.”